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DeSantis’ executive order on water: The good, the unclear and the political

January 17, 2023

Gov. Ron DeSantis’s Executive Order 23-06, issued Jan. 11, was a watershed moment in the history of Florida water politics — no pun intended. It laid out what DeSantis characterized as a sweeping agenda to clean up Florida’s troubled waters,…

Legislators have ‘unique opportunity’ with new Water Quality Subcommittee; but will they take it?

January 12, 2023

When it comes to water quality issues, we’re always leery of putting too much faith in the Florida Legislature. Time after time, we’ve watched bad bills sail on through. Proposals like last year’s Senate Bill 1000 (which will allow citrus…

Bad bill alert: HB 41 would limit citizens’ ability to challenge development rules

January 5, 2023

Happy 2023 from VoteWater, where we’re confident the new year will bring tidings of comfort and joy — and lousy ideas, bad bills and terrible initiatives courtesy of the Florida Legislature. In fact, we’ve already identified our first Bad Bill…

Here’s where VoteWater made an impact in 2022 – thanks to your support

December 27, 2022

Happy holidays from VoteWater! As 2022 fades, the fight for cleaner water and better political leadership is far from over — but this year, we made progress. And we’re proud to report the following accomplishments, all of them made possible,…

Happy holidays from VoteWater – and may Santa bring you cleaner water this year!

December 22, 2022

Happy Holidays from VoteWater! Fighting for cleaner water in Florida is an uphill battle. It can be discouraging and infuriating. Our side doesn’t have the same money, the same number of lobbyists; the same influence in the capitol. But what…

Everglades restoration could fall short – here’s what to do about it

December 20, 2022

We hate to say, “We told you so.” But we told you so. For years, first as Bullsugar.org and now as VoteWater, we’ve advocated for two key points: We need more land south of Lake Okeechobee to store water and…

Florida needs new water quality standards — and they better be tough

December 15, 2022

How safe is it to eat fish caught in Florida waters? And how big of a threat are toxic pollutants to Floridians’ health? If it was still 1992, we might be wearing mullets, listening to “Achy Breaky Heart” and assuming…

VoteWater Deep Dive: What if the seagrass keeps dying?

December 12, 2022

The widespread die-off of seagrass in Florida ought to be front-page news. And last fall it was, as Gannett’s Florida Today issued a blockbuster report on how seagrass appears to be receding in every coastal corner of Florida, at levels…

Campaign cash at the root of Big Sugar’s political clout

December 6, 2022

Remember when we told you last week about the Dominican sugarcane operation — partly owned by the Florida-based Fanjul brothers — facing an federal import ban and allegations of forced labor? Similar allegations have dogged the company for years; the…

Florida sugar barons defiant in wake of import ban, forced labor allegations

December 1, 2022

When the U.S. government last week banned sugar imports from a top Dominican producer owned in part by the Florida-based Fanjul brothers, the company could have shown a little contrition. After all, an investigation by the U.S. Customs and Border…

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